Schools in England will implement significant changes to their menus starting next September, with a ban on deep-fried foods and a requirement for all main meals to be accompanied by a portion of vegetables or salad. These measures are part of a broader government initiative aimed at tackling childhood obesity and tooth decay.

The overhaul, the first major update to school food standards in over a decade, will also limit the serving of sweetened baked desserts. Any such treats will need to contain or be served with fruit. Foods high in fat and salt, including pizzas, will also face restrictions.

These new regulations mean that traditional canteen favorites from the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s, such as potato smiley faces, spam fritters, jam roly-poly, and cowboy pie, will be significantly altered or removed from menus.

More fibrous wholegrains and pulses, like lentils and chickpeas, will be required on menus at least once a week. This shift moves away from past staples, including the popular "chocolate concrete and pink custard" dessert, which combined a crisp chocolate cake with dyed custard, and "cornflake tart" made with jam and golden syrup.

The ban on deep-fried items directly impacts dishes like fish and chips and spam fritters, which consist of spam deep-fried in batter. Even items like "turkey dinosaurs," a breadcrumbed turkey product, and "cheese flan," a savory custard baked in pastry, will be affected by the new rules.

This initiative follows a precedent set over two decades ago when celebrity chef Jamie Oliver's campaigning led to the removal of items like Turkey Twizzlers and chocolate concrete cake from school menus. Turkey Twizzlers, which were found to contain only 34% meat, were axed in 2005, though a healthier version was briefly relaunched in 2020 before being discontinued in 2025.

While some nostalgic items like Pasta King pots are still served, their former popularity has waned. Other retro desserts such as Arctic Roll, a vanilla ice cream wrapped in sponge, and blancmange, a milk-based jelly, also represent a bygone era of school catering.

The Department for Education's changes aim to provide healthier options and encourage better eating habits among students, moving towards meals that are more nutritious and less reliant on processed or fried ingredients.